An Interview with Golden Road Founder Meg Gill and...

"BEER IS THIS COMMON THREAD THAT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER AND ALLOWS YOU TO TALK TO ANYONE, ANYWHERE. EVERYBODY'S GOT A GOOD BEER STORY."

If you’re a fan of the TV network VICELAND and love craft beer, you’re in luck. Premiering this Thursday, April 27th and airing weekly on VICELAND at 10pm, BEERLAND searches for the best home brewers across the country and explores beer’s role in shaping the culture of a community. You can follow along as Gill and home brewers from San Francisco, New York, Colorado, Santa Fe and Hawaii earn a shot to compete in a taste-off in Los Angeles. The winner will have their recipe brewed, canned and distributed by Golden Road.

The show will give viewers a chance to dive into the world of home brewing, and a glimpse at what it takes to get home brewing, well, brewing. With well over 2 million home brewers in just the US alone, we can see why theres no slowing down the beer industry. One person who knows the industry very well, is Co-Founder of Golden Road Brewing Meg Gill. We got a chance to ask Meg some questions about her beer background, and the process behind BEERLAND. Read the full interview below, and be sure to catch her new show on Thursday, April 27 on VICELAND — check below for channel finder.

First, I want to start off by saying — thank you. For bringing the craft beer culture to Los Angeles. What does that mean to you?

For me, a thriving beer culture means that fresh craft beer is available to everyone, everywhere. The unique flavors and compelling stories behind the beers here is what initially drove me to want to set up shop in LA.

Do you remember having your first beer?

Not sure if this counts, but my earliest memory involving beer is at home with my mom. I remember when my mom would cook dinner, she’d ask me to go downstairs to grab her a beer, and she would reward me by giving mer her first sip.

Beer, food, and snacks go hand in hand. What would you say are your favorite pairings? Personally, I love a classic pair of peanuts & beer.

It really depends on the situation, but the one thing I always go back to is a good chips & guac with some spice in it paired with something hoppy and refreshing like a Wolf Pup Session IPA.

Prior to filming for BEERLAND, how often were you traveling and how often was it for beer?

I’ve been on the road traveling at least half of the time since starting Golden Road back in 2011, so filming for BEERLAND wasn’t much different. When I’m traveling it’s always for beer, so much so that now my personal vacations are staycations. I live in Southern California, which is paradise, so I can’t complain.

California is well known for its craft beer culture. Where do you think will be the next place to see a major jump in craft beer? Any emerging markets to keep an eye on?

Santa Fe, NM was the market I was most surprised by while filming BEERLAND. It’s a newer market but there’s a lot going on there, so much talent and passion, it could definitely take off.

The show BEERLAND searches for the best home brewers and showcases their role in the home brewing community. For those wanting to home brew, what would be your best advice?

The best part about beer is that it brings people together. Beer is better with friends, so start by finding a local home brew group in your community where you can get involved and learn from those who have started before you. If you’re more of a lone wolf, there are plenty of good books to get you started. I would recommend either John Palmer or Charlie Papazian’s books on homebrewing.

What was the process like finding home brewers for the show?

There are over 2 million homebrewers out there in the US so it was pretty easy to find candidates. Our challenge became choosing the home brewers with compelling stories behind how they got into home brewing and why they were so passionate about beer. That element is what we found most interesting for the show.

How soon after the show will we see the winning brew canned & distributed?

It’ll be available pretty much immediately after the finale, but you’ll have to stay tuned to find out exactly when & where!

Getting to see different perspectives from home brewers, were you able to pick up any techniques that you would consider applying in-house?

A lot of the home brewers were also really good cooks, so during filming there was a lot of cooking food & brewing at the same time. That’s something I took with me, and I’ve been getting more and more into cooking and BBQing when I’m home. It has inspired me to take flavors that are good in food and apply them to beer or vice versa.

What can the viewers expect from the show?

Hopefully they’ll learn something about beer and be inspired to either try their hand at home brewing or just to go out for a beer with friends and talk about how it’s made, try new flavors and find a deeper appreciation for a great brew.

And finally, what was the biggest takeaway you got from hosting the show?

Beer is this common thread that brings people together and allows you to talk to anyone, anywhere. Everybody’s got a good beer story.

[…] coming to its final episode, and guess what — Golden Road wants to invite you to come see it with Meg Gill herself. Meg is the founder of Golden Road and the host of the show. Stop by and have a beer, food, […]